The Wild, the Willing and the Innocent

The Wild, the Willing and the Innocent is the ninth studio album by English hard rock band UFO, released on 16 January 1981. Their first to be entirely self-produced. Its song "Lonely Heart" was a minor UK hit.

The Wild, the Willing and the Innocent
Studio album by
Released16 January 1981[1]
Recorded1980
StudioAIR Studios, Wessex Sound Studios and Utopia Studios, London
GenreHard rock, heavy metal
Length40:43
LabelChrysalis
ProducerUFO
UFO chronology
No Place to Run
(1980)
The Wild, the Willing and the Innocent
(1981)
Mechanix
(1982)
Singles from The Wild, the Willing and the Innocent
  1. "Couldn't Get It Right"
    Released: 17 October 1980[2]
  2. "Lonely Heart"
    Released: 2 January 1981[3]
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[4]

Former Wild Horses' keyboard player Neil Carter replaced Paul Raymond, who had left to join the Michael Schenker Group after a disagreement with singer Phil Mogg. However, according to guitarist Paul Chapman, Carter – though credited on the sleeve – did not play keyboards on the album (see below).

"We produced it ourselves with nobody breathing over our shoulders. The only problem was it cost twice as much because we kept changing studios and rerecording stuff…. [After Paul Raymond's departure] I tried to get John Sloman involved because he could sing, play keyboards and guitar, and was just out of Lone Star like me. He did play on the Wild album, but most of the keyboards are by the brother of the engineer Gary Edwards – until Phil sacked him. We finished that album without a keyboard player, then got Neil Carter in later." – Paul Chapman[6]

The original cover was, as usual, designed by the art studio Hipgnosis.

The album was remastered at Sound Recording Technology in Cambridge in 1994 and reissued on Repertoire Records. The album was also reissued in 2009, remastered and with an expanded booklet and bonus tracks.

Track listing

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Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Chains Chains"Pete Way, Phil Mogg3:24
2."Long Gone"Paul Chapman, Mogg5:17
3."The Wild, the Willing and the Innocent"Chapman, Mogg4:57
4."It's Killing Me"Way, Mogg4:29
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
5."Makin' Moves"Chapman, Mogg4:43
6."Lonely Heart"Chapman, Way, Mogg5:00
7."Couldn't Get It Right"Chapman, Way, Mogg4:33
8."Profession of Violence" (Listed as "Profession Of" on original US and Canadian releases)Chapman, Mogg4:22
Total length:40:43
Japanese CD edition bonus track:
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
9."Hot 'n' Ready" (live)Michael Schenker, Mogg3:34
2008 Remastered Edition CD bonus tracks:
No.TitleLength
9."Long Gone" (live at Hammersmith Odeon, London 29/01/81)5:29
10."Lonely Heart" (live at Hammersmith Odeon, London 29/01/81)5:35
11."Makin' Moves" (live at Hammersmith Odeon, London 29/01/81)5:42
  • On the original US vinyl release, the tracks (on both sides) were numbered 1, 2, 3, 5.

Singles

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  1. "Couldn't Get It Right"/"Hot 'n' Ready" (recorded live at the Reading Festival 1980) (Chrysalis CHS 2454)
  2. "Lonely Heart"/"Long Gone" (Chrysalis CHS 2482) #41 UK[7]

Credits

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UFO
Additional musicians
Production
  • Steve Churchyard, Gary Edwards, Jeremy Green – engineers

Charts

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Chart (1981) Peak
position
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[8] 27
UK Albums (OCC)[9] 19
US Billboard 200[10] 77

References

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  1. ^ "Music Week" (PDF). p. 19.
  2. ^ "Music Week" (PDF). p. 30.
  3. ^ "Music Week" (PDF). p. 22.
  4. ^ "UFO The Wild the Willing and the Innocent review". AllMusic. Retrieved 26 August 2011.
  5. ^ Popoff, Martin (1 November 2005). The Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal: Volume 2: The Eighties. Burlington, Ontario, Canada: Collector's Guide Publishing. p. 376. ISBN 978-1894959315.
  6. ^ a b Jeffries, Neil (March 2009). "The Hard Stuff – Reissues". Classic Rock. No. 129. p. 88.
  7. ^ "Lonely Heart The Official Charts Company". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 26 August 2011.
  8. ^ "Swedishcharts.com – UFO – The Wild, the Willing and the Innocent". Hung Medien. Retrieved 28 June 2023.
  9. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 28 June 2023.
  10. ^ "Billboard 200 - 21 February 1981". Billboard. Retrieved 15 May 2021.